At the national convention of the Left Bloc, taking place in Lisbon, António Lima considered that the right-wing government in the archipelago has accumulated “a string of failures,” lamenting that, in the region, the Azores Socialist Party had become “the coalition’s second crutch” by enabling the Regional Budget for 2026 with an abstention “alongside Chega.”

Before hundreds of activists gathered in the convention hall, Lima painted a social and economic picture that he described as a “bleak scenario.” “In health, there have never been so many people in the Azores waiting for surgery, not even during the pandemic. Poverty has changed little. There are more than 22,000 workers with base salaries below €1,000. Of the 20 municipalities in the country where people die earlier, 11 are in the Azores,“ he said, adding that the ”ruinous privatization“ of SATA Air Açores was ”ruinous for the region.”

In a double-edged criticism, the coordinator of the Left Bloc Azores also recalled recent statements by the regional PS, which accused the government of “deceiving the Azoreans” and, “at the same time, announced the viability of the budget together with Chega.”

Agreeing with the accusation, Lima responded with even greater harshness: “The government of the PSD Azores, the CDS-PP Azores, and the PPM deceives the Azoreans every day. But you have to be consistent. You can’t say one thing and do the opposite. You have to build a real policy that responds to people’s problems today, not three years from now.”

Public housing, tax justice, and cooperation with TAP

In terms of proposals, the Bloco leader advocated a “program capable of giving hope to those who live in the Azores and in the country,” with measures focused on three pillars: “respect for those who work,” “a new housing policy with a focus on public housing and regulation of local accommodation,” and “tax justice without handouts to elites close to power.”

Regarding the business crisis at SATA—where “there are wage arrears at this final stage of the year,” he recalled—the leader pointed out that the solution “must necessarily involve cooperation with TAP Air Portugal.”

As for the public healthcare system, António Lima, also a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, argued that it is necessary to “reinvent” a Regional Health Service “that does not follow the path of privatization” and “ends its capture by economic interests.”

“Most contested government” sees 2026 budget move forward, says António Lima. The Bloco member stressed that the 2026 Regional Budget was made possible at a time when “opposition to the right-wing government has never been so strong.” “It is in this bleak scenario that the Azores Budget for 2026 was approved, with the support of the PS, which joined Chega as a crutch for the governing coalition that brings together the PSD, CDS, and PPM,” he concluded.

In Açores9-Paulo Melo, director

Translated into English as a community outreach program by the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL), in collaboration with Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno. PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.